Internal-combustion engine for motor vehicles



June 1 1926. 1,587,406 O. D. NORTH INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FOR MOTORVEHICLES Filed March 20{ 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 O. D.NORTH INTERNAL; COMBUSTION ENGINE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed March 20,1925 June 1 1926.

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0. D. NORTH INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed March20, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 izgrz June 1 1926. 1,587,406

O. D. NORTH INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed March20. 1923 4 sheets-sheet 4 Irwnlbr OZiwr JYorZiz dj WILMM MY M r q %m ggal atented June 1, lfd t'.

OLIVER DANSON NORTH, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE FUR MOTOR VEHICLES.

Application filed March 20, 1923, Serial No. 626,389, and in GreatBritain March 30, 1922.

This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion engines ofthe type in which two or more cylinders are arranged around thecrankshaft axis usually at equal intervals.

According to the present invention the engine is mounted with itscrankshaft axis in a vertical plane, the cylinders projecting radiallyoutwards in a horizontal ne, the crankcase being integral with or r adlyscoured to a casing containing suitable change speed, transmission anddill'erential gearing, arranged beneath the engine.

Thus a complete compact unit, comprising the engine change speed,transmission and differential gearing, is provided which may be arrangedbetween the front or rear wheels of a vehicle leaving; the rest of thechassis space entirely free from machinery.

The power is transi'nitted from the casing to the two adjacent roadwheels pre'lrrahly by short universal]y-jointed shafts of knownconstruction and the road wheels r ay be driven directly by said shaftsor through spur reduction gearing arranged at each wheel in a knownmanner.

To ensure the equal distribution of fuel to the cylinders, thecarburettor is prefer ably arranged to deliver the explosive mixturetangentially into an annular char. ber placed around the crankshaftaxis.

This chamber con'imunicates through an orifice or orifices in its lowerwall with a second annular chamber placed immediately beneath it, fromwhich induction pipes are led o'll' tangentially to the individualcylinders. The communicating orifice may take theform of an annularslot, or the two chambers may be combined in a single chamber having aninwardly projecting shelf running round same below the levelat which theinlet pipe from the carbin'etter enters and above the level of theopenings of the induction pipes to the individual cylinders.

lVith these arrangements the explosive mixture is caused to make one ormore revolutions of the upper chamber or portion thereof, beforedescendingto the lower chamber or portion thereof, in which latter thetangential arrangement of the induction pipes to the cylinders tends tomaintain the whirling action of the mixture.

Thus no particular cylinder has any preference in mixture supply overthe others, which might not be the case if all the cylinders drew from asimple chamber into which the carburettor delivered direct, for therewould be a tendency for the particles of liquid fuel to be projected inexcess down that particular induction pipe which happened to be morenearly opposite to the inlet pipe from the carburetter.

' t will be observed that the placing of the engine with its crankshaftin a vertical plane and the cylinders projecting radially in ahorizontal plane, also improves the distribu tion of fuel and lubricant,since all cylinders are at substantially the same level and none of themare inclined to the vertical.

The engine may conveniently be air cooled by means of fan blades carriedon the ed 'e of a flywheel mounted on the crankshait above the engineand arranged to blow air downwards upon the cylinders.

When the above descril'ied con'ibined engine, change-s eed andtransmission unit is mounted bet\ acn the front wheels of a vehicle forexample, the universal]y-jointed shafts may conveniently bearranged topermit the movement of the front wheels when steering the vehicle aswell as permitting the up and down movements of the wheels due to roadinequalities. A suitable arrangement of transmission mechanism comprisesa friction clutch arranged on the engine crankshaft just below theengine, this clutch transmitting the power to a change-speed gearbox ofl'IDOWEl form placed below.

The driven shaft of the gearbox carries a bevel wheel meshing with acrown wheel on the casing of t.he.dit?erential gear, which has its axisrunnii'ip; across the car and runs in bearings immedhtely below thegearbox. Or a worm and worm wheel may he used instead of the bevel wheeland crown wheel, this latter being the jiireferred arrangement.

To enable the invention to be fully understood it will now be describetby reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a partsectional dia plan view of a live cylinder en ine c 'l' structedaccording to the invention with the fly wheel removed,

Figs. 2 and 2 read together are a sectional elevation taken through oneof the cylinders thereof omitting the gearbox ind drawn to a largerscale,

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the change-speed gear anddifferential box drawn to a smaller scale.

As shewn, the engine comprises live cylin ders 4 arranged in ahorizontal plane and thriving a vertical crank shaft 5.

The valves (3 are arranged side by side the induction pipes being shewnat i and the exhaust pipes at 8.

The cran shaft with its connecting rods is contained in a casing 9 2)ada ted to be bolt d to a casing 10 (Fig. 3) containing the change speedand differential gearing, so that the engine and the transmissiongearing forms a complete unit.

Referring to Fig. in which a section through one of the cylinders isshewn, it will be seen that the connecting rod 12 is connected to amaster rod 12 bearing on the crank pin 13, the crankshaft 5 being formedin two portions secured by a cone and nut. The crank may be balanced byweights 15 attached to the webs i The valve rods 16 (one only beingshown) are operated by a cam ring 1'? surrounding the crankshaft andcarried in the upper part of the crank casing and driven by a shaft 18through gear wheels 19. 2-0 from the lower end of the crankshaft. Aclutch 21 of any desired type is fitted at the lower end of thecrankshaft 5. it hollow fly wheel 22 is mounted on the upper end of thecrankshaft and is fitted with fan blades 23 for cooling purposes.

The essential portions of the gearbox are shown in Fig. 3, the shaft 5being the driven shaft and having the gear wheels 24 fitted thereoncooperating with other gear wheels 25 carried on a lay shaft 26 to forma change speed gear of any suitable known type, the changing beingcontrolled by the usual rods 27. The drive to the road wheels istransmitted to a horizontal shaft 28 running transversely of the enginethrough a differential 29, the difi'erential casing having a worm wheel30 engaging a worm 31 on the shaft 5. The whole gearing is contained ina casing 10 adapted to be bolted to the engine casing 9 and an oil sumpis formed in a portion 32 from which oil is delivered to variousportions of the engine and gear box by suitable means. Oil is alsoadmitted to the. gear box through an oil reservoir 33.

The various shafts may be grooved or hollow for lubrication purposes.Oil may be supplied to the crank shaft 5 by a pipe 34 (Fig. 2) drawingits supply from the sump 32, said shaft being provided with suitable oilpassages 35.

The drive to the road wheels may be transmitted from the shaft 28 bymeans of independent universally jointed shafts of known constructionthrough the medium of any suitable type of reduction or other gearing.

The explosive mixture from the carburctter drawn through pipe 36 isadmitted into the upper portion 37 of an annular chamber 38 arrangedaround tie upper end of the crank shaft 5 and divided into upper andlower portions by a partition 30. The two portions of the chambercon'imunicatc through an annular slot 40 in the partition and theinduction pipes 7 to the cylinders open tangentially into the lowerportion 41 of the chamber. lVith this arrangement the explosive mixtureis caused to make one or more revolutions of the portion 3? beforepassing into the lower portion fl and in the latter portion thetangential arrangement of the induction pipes 7 tends to maintain thewhir ing action of the mixture.

Further no particular cylinder has any preference in mixture supply overthe others as the carburetter inlet pipe 36 opens into the upper portion8? of the chamber.

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the bestmeans I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim 1. Apower unit for installation between the wheels of a conventional type ofmotovehicle, comprising an engine having horizontally arranged cylindersand a ver ically disposed crank shaft, casing secured against the underside of the engine, a change speed transmission in said casing. and adifferential gearing in said casing. said transmission and differentialgearing connected to said engin for driving the adjacent wheels of amotor vehicle.

2. A power unit adapted for positioning between a pair of wheels of aconventional type of motor vehicle, comprising a vertical crank shaft,radially extending cylinders arranged in a horizontal plane about thevertical crank shaft, a casing secured beneaih the cylinders about thecrank shaft, a change speed transmission arranged in said casing andconnected to the crank shaft, and a differential gearing connected tothe change speed transmission and arranged in said casing for directconnection with the adjacent wheels of the vehicle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

OLIVER DANSON NORTH.

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